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“A fast train called the Union Express northbound and the Union Limited southbound was introduced in 1923, to link the Union Castle steamers arriving at Cape Town from Southampton with the goldfields of Jo’burg and the Transvaal capital at Pretoria. The original wooden coaches were replaced in 1937 with steel coaches built in Birmingham and painted a smart blue. Before long, the train became known colloquially as 'that blue train’, and its name was changed officially to 'The Blue Train’ in 1946. Meals and drinks (and even Montecristo Havana cigars!) are included in the fare, and there is an extensive list of South African wines available. You probably won’t be able to drink £800-worth before you reach Pretoria, but you can have a damn good try...”

The details

The Blue Train route covers the 994 miles between Cape Town and Pretoria in 27 hours, with one stop in each direction – the fashionable old town of Matjiesfontein in the Karoo on the northbound journey, and the historic diamond-mining town of Kimberley on the journey back. The one-way fare, bookable through bluetrain.co.za, is R14,060 (£800) per person. If you’d rather travel on the train as part of an organised tour with other travellers, try Great Rail Journeys (greatrail.com). There is also a cheaper option to travel between Pretoria and Durban.

The cheaper alternative

You can also travel from Cape Town to Jo’burg on the weekly Premier Classe train for R2,840 (£160) or on the four-times-per-week Shosholoza Meyl Sleeper for an incredible R630 – about £36. Premier Classe passengers enjoy cosy private sleepers with three-course meals included in the elegant restaurant car and the day spent scenery-gazing in a spacious lounge with piano-bar - luxury on a budget. The Shosholoza Meyl train offers shared two- or four-berth sleepers with a restaurant car for meals at extra cost. The 27-hour ride features fabulous scenery from the Cape wine lands, through the Hex River Pass and across the great Karoo (southafricanrailways.co.za).

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